Drugs Awareness

Find out about the most commonly used illegal drugs in England and Wales and the effects they can have on your health.

The 2009/10 British Crime Survey estimates that 8.6% of 16 to 59 year olds living in England and Wales have tried illegal drugs in the last year.

Among young people, this figure is more than twice as high, with an estimated 20% of 16 to 24 year olds having used illegal drugs in the last year.

For the people who take them, illegal drugs can be a serious problem. They’re responsible for between 1,300 and 1,600 deaths a year in the UK, and destroy thousands of relationships, families and careers.